Musicians Collaboration Studio
Virtual Music Studio => Finished Works => Topic started by: Donna on January 02, 2011, 04:14:25 PM
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Clearly Andy had forgotten about the ancient Chinese curse "Be careful what you wish for" when he asked me 3-4 months ago to write a prog-rock 3-song cycle. ;D
I hadn't a clue what I was going to write about, but after watching the 1972 cult sci-fi movie "Silent Running", I felt inspired. The lyrics in Parts 1 & 2A,B are based on the film's storyline, but with Part 3 I took pure poetic license. ;) Then Billy - who's plainly as mad as Andy and me - joined us in this mammoth production. :D And just when we were twiddling our thumbs, wondering what to do about percussion, John ambled by the thread and threw in some wonderful drumming. David deserves special mention as well. His vocals are superb.
Sit down, put your feet up, pour a favourite beverage, and join us on the long journey into deeeeeeep, deeeeeeep space... :)
Andy Gupta: music, guitars, organ, keyboards, bass
Billy Playle : music, acoustic and electric guitars, piano, keyboards, SFX, arrangements, mix/master
John Wooten: Drums
David Saylor: vocals
Nathan Knight: Narration (Part 2A)
Donna Devine: Lyrics & Narration (Part 1)
A Green Leaf In Its Hand
Part 1 ("Freeman Lowell")
Intro (NARRATED)
In the folly wrought by Progress
Earth's plant life had been destroyed
And to save what flora still remained
Orbiting greenhouses were deployed
Each managed by a four-man crew
Aided by robot drones
Aboard the eight huge freighters
That bore six domes where forests grew
Later to be returned to earth
And planted there anew
(v1)
Of the Valley Forge rangers
Freeman, Andy, Marty, John
Only Freeman loved his work
While the others dreamed of home
And though they often teased him
About his vegetables and flowers
He continued undeterred
Tending to the task at hand
Went on planting by the hour
(v2)
He'd dive into the deep blue lake
[And] swim there undisturbed
He was well known to the fauna
All the animals and birds
At night he'd play cards with his friends
Try to share [some of] his dreams
They'd simply laugh, said he was mad
[With] his head up in the clouds
Always going to extremes
Insert (NARRATED - robotic voice)
"Attention. Earth to Greenhouse Fleet.
You are ordered to abandon domes.
Jettison and destroy them with nuclear charges.
The freighters have been reassigned for commercial service.
You will return home"
Pre-chorus
To one, the news was tragic
The other three rejoiced
They raced to set the charges
Freeman had to make a choice
Chorus
Freeman Lowell was a loner
Had no family of his own
Loved the forests with a passion
Watched them closely till they'd grown
He'd spent eight years
In star-filled space
A stranger now to land
His only dream was that one day
A child might know the simple joy
Of holding a green leaf in its hand
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Part 2A ("Panic")
(v1)
Four domes already gone
Lowell is in a panic
In a struggle he kills John
His thinking now is manic
He traps the two in number 5
Then jettisons and bombs it
He's the only man alive
On a fateful course, can't stop it
(v2)
Huey, Dewey, and Louie
He names the service drones
Reprogrammes them to help him
Save the final forest dome
He redirects the Valley Forge
Escapes the freighter fleet
Takes a perilous route past Saturn
His rebellion is complete
Bridge 1 (NARRATED)
The freighter surfs down Saturn's rings
Through rainbow-tinted terrors
Careless Louie is swept away
Little room for errors
At last the craft emerges
Relatively unscathed
Lowell and two robots
Flee into deep space
Instrumental
(v3)
Huey and Dewey learn
To plant new trees, to cheat at cards
But then the trees begin to die
[And] this hits Lowell hard
In a mishap, Huey's damaged
And making matters worse
A rescue mission sister ship
Is soon about to berth
(v4)
Distraught he realises
What the forest needs is sun
He and Dewey set up lamps
Before the freighter comes
Knowing the crew will learn the truth
When it boards the rebel ship
Lowell quickly makes a plan
To give them all the slip
Bridge 2 (NARRATED)
He carefully instructs the drone
To tend to the forest's care
Before he jettisons the dome
To safety far from there
Then he detonates a nuclear charge
Destroying himself and Huey
And the freighter Valley Forge
Part 2B ("Reprise")
Pre-chorus
Not a man of violence
His heart had been torn in two
At night he'd grieved in silence
But he'd done what he had to do
Chorus
Freeman Lowell was a loner
Had no family of his own
Loved the forests with a passion
Watched them closely till they'd grown
He'd spent eight years
In star-filled space
A stranger now to land
His only dream was that one day
A child might know the simple joy
Of holding a green leaf in its hand
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Part 3 ("A Green Leaf In Its Hand")
(v1)
Light years hence, where life began
Past the rings of Saturn that only one man
Alone with his treasure had plummeted through
The Book of Creation is closing fast
The bone-tired Earth is breathing its last
(v2)
But far in the reaches of deep, deep space
Where the essence of lonely is given a face
The orphaned geodome still whirls
Like a giant net dotted with fireflies
With its precious cargo of Paradise
(v3)
The forest is lush and green and tall
It scarcely needs any care at all
And its keeper is old and corroded
Yet the faithful android perseveres
Its circuits hold a memory of tears
Bridge
Now in the lake where Lowell swam
A pale amoeba forming from
A brew of biosynthesis
Makes its way from the pristine depths
Where, still eyeless though well begun
It drags itself to the golden sand
Twisting toward a surrogate sun
At the feet of a rusted, benevolent god
Who holds a battered watering can
Pre-chorus
Some call Freeman evil
Others claim insane
He killed three men
For a forest
But he'd do it all again
Chorus
Lowell was a loner
Had no family of his own
Loved the forests with a passion
Watched them closely till they'd grown
He'd spent eight years
In star-filled space
A stranger now to land
His only dream was that one day
A child might know the simple joy
Of holding a green leaf in its hand
� 2010 Donna Devine
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Hi Valley Forgers,
We did it :).
It was a great collabing experience. Not often does one get the chance to do a suite of 3-4 songs related to a particular theme.
Donna your strong lyric was the bedrock which sparked the musical ideas. Billy was his usual brilliant self with his instrumental contributions, arrangements and the beautiful coda piece.
Super drumming from John and excellent vocals from David rounded off the project perfectly.
Thanks for inviting me onboard - its a privilege to be working with you two!
Andy
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You guy`s and gal are the bomb.When can we expect a video? :)
Totally awesome.
cyclone
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Simply great work guys a prog master piece to be sure ...You have caught the atmosphere and essence of the story perfectly and it is nice to push the story forward to a resolution
Fantastic performances by all and cool to get Donna recorded as well
Perfect stuff
Ian :) :) :)
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At the other site I said this is some of the finest epic prog rock I've heard in a while - and I repeat that! :)
That's the sort of music I would love to do myself in 2011 ... IF I could find any collaborators. :-\
Anyway, great, great job everybody, and the mix is very good too!
And, Andy, you are a multi-talent! Guitars, bass, keys AND composition ... very impressive!
Regards,
Steffen
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Thanks Cyc ;) for the kind comment.
Re the video I'd let Donna answer that I think she was toying with the idea of a sildeshow....
Cheers
Andy
You guy`s and gal are the bomb.When can we expect a video? :)
Totally awesome.
cyclone
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Thanks Stoney :)
Donna's story-telling was sublime!! and you are no slouch either :)
Andy
Simply great work guys a prog master piece to be sure ...You have caught the atmosphere and essence of the story perfectly and it is nice to push the story forward to a resolution
Fantastic performances by all and cool to get Donna recorded as well
Perfect stuff
Ian :) :) :)
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Hey Steffen,
Thanks for the appreciative listen and the kind comment re my contributions. I chipped in wherever I could, the real guitar playing including the solos, and a lot of the piano/keys playing was by the MCS in-house genius, namely Mr Billy Playle. :)
Cheers
Andy
And, Andy, you are a multi-talent! Guitars, bass, keys AND composition ... very impressive!
Regards,
Steffen
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Donna/Guys this is outstanding!! Alan Parsons eat your heart out!! Liked everything, great vocal David and the keyboards are amazing and lush. great musicanship all round guys!
Donna's lyric brought to life and the narration was spot on. Its a lot to take in, needs a few listens this one ;)
I have't been visiting here much but you've inspired me to come more often and get involved in some project here.
I have become a faithful android!! Excellent.
Marty
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Wow guys...Simply Wow....I listened to much as it was being conceived and recorded, but the overall effect is FANTASTIC...I had to dig out my old, Rick Wakeman's, "Journey the Center..." this is much better!
Taking the story forward to song 3 is terrific and my personal favorite.
Donna, it's Devine...superbly crafted lyrics, and the compositions are masterful...Great work everyone!!! :)
Sincerely, Johnny
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Amazing production guys. VERY well done. Huge project and a huge undertaking. Only this line up of guys could pull it off. I would love to do something similar some day. Great words Donna. Hat's off to you all for creating this and so well. 8)
Dave
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Thanks Marty for the visit and kind words.
Im sure Donna will be thrilled with yout comments.
Cheers
Andy
Donna/Guys this is outstanding!! Alan Parsons eat your heart out!! Liked everything, great vocal David and the keyboards are amazing and lush. great musicanship all round guys!
Donna's lyric brought to life and the narration was spot on. Its a lot to take in, needs a few listens this one ;)
I have't been visiting here much but you've inspired me to come more often and get involved in some project here.
I have become a faithful android!! Excellent.
Marty
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hey Johnny,
Thanks - glad you liked the final result!!
Journey to the Center of the mind was it? Interestingly theres loads of new prog rock bands - Phideaux, RPWL, The Rocket Scientists, Simon Says to name a few..who have kept the 70s prog rock spirit but in a modren way!
Regards,
Andy
Wow guys...Simply Wow....I listened to much as it was being conceived and recorded, but the overall effect is FANTASTIC...I had to dig out my old, Rick Wakeman's, "Journey the Center..." this is much better!
Taking the story forward to song 3 is terrific and my personal favorite.
Donna, it's Devine...superbly crafted lyrics, and the compositions are masterful...Great work everyone!!! :)
Sincerely, Johnny
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Hey Dave,
Thanks for dropping by and the kind words :)! Billy's production is top notch indeed.
Cheers
Andy
Amazing production guys. VERY well done. Huge project and a huge undertaking. Only this line up of guys could pull it off. I would love to do something similar some day. Great words Donna. Hat's off to you all for creating this and so well. 8)
Dave
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I'm deeply impressed by that fine masterpiece! every little part and every little thing is perfect. And of course the whole opus.
Great noises too :) Lay back, close your eyes and enjoy the film!
words and music - a perfect match. Great vocals.
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Thank you so much, Everyone, for your wonderful comments (and for braving the length). :)
I'm thrilled you like the song. All of the contributions were splendid.
Guys, a few kudos have trickled in from off-site. ;)
Donna
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Very creative .and. what a major production !:! Really great lyrics Donna ~ very cooL .!. Terry
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i am only at song two and still listening but jings crivvens and help ma boab this is tremendous.
Jim (Scotland)
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This must have taken forever to put together, still on song two but have opened another browser to comment.
And silent running was a braw movie. Jim (Scotland)
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Running commentary now, chorus in verse two is great very beatlesesque, this is so pro.
Jim (Scotland)
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When we finally get a prog rock fest, we won't need any other entries. wow. this is epic.
Jim (Scotland)
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Cycle finished i must say........BRAVO! Jim (Scotland)
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Well what can I say, a whole album of this would go down well, just pro sounds here, stunning!!
SE
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This is some of the finest progressive rock/pop I've heard in a while, Donna. It's epic! And I really love it! Steffen
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Epic indeed!!!!
Piepod bound.....
Congrats on this!
LG
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17 minutes of ear candy!
An album-side.....But, we need side 2....
More, more, more
LG
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This is mindboggingly good !!!
Epic !!
Just finished with first listen and got it downloaded to my Donna folder for further listens!
WOW !!!!!!!!!!!
Amazing (a word I don't use often)
Incredibly talented people performing this wonderful music.
And the fantasic lyrics !! WOW ... you sure don't restrict yourself to a single genre Donna !!
Geir
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Goodness, this is pretty amazing. Incredible work all round from the musicians and a great telling of the story in the lyrics. It starts off reminding me of Yes but then goes in many different directions. How in heaven's name does the collaboration work on something as complex as this?
Prog rock lives!
Cheers,
Nigel
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Donna I've been listening to this [amongst others, or course] every day now
down at work. This has become a real joy to hear when it comes up in the
shuffle! It has grown on me more, and dare I say it has become a favorite....
I'm a fan!
LG
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This is incredible. A tremendously written and performed production.
I clicked on it not knowing what I was going to hear and about a minute
or so into it I started thinking "This reminds me of something" from my past.
It reminded me of some movie or something I knew and I went to the top
to see "Silent Running"!!!! ... I read this book when I was ... I am floored!
Huey, Dewey and Louie! I remember those guys! Too long? This thing
was too short! I'm going to listen and read all the words again.
Kenny
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hey Donna,
Thanks for posting the comments received off-site. It's nice to know the project has garnered positive reviews. The kudos for the lyrics are richly deserved indeed!!
Cheers
Andy
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Simply AMAZING!!!!!
Should be in a movie!!! 8) 8) 8)
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Before I comment, I just want to apologize to Donna, Billy, John, and Andy. I should have listened to this trilogy WAYYY before this! Each of you have been more than helpful with words and deeds on my projects, and the least I could do would have been to be one of the first to congratulate you on this epic release. :-[
But now on to my thoughts:
I don't know how to say this, other than to say this trilogy doesn't belong here at MCS.
I would SO love to experience this at a planetarium - where you could get the full visual effect to go along with such a wonderful and EPIC collaboration. If I had to describe this to someone, I would say it's kind of like David Bowie's "Major Tom" meets Disney's Fantasia meets Space Odyssey 2001 :) :)
Your vocalist was top-notch and I loved all the effects. At some point between song 2 and 3, the enormity of this project hit me... and I felt so small and insignificant, thinking that I called myself a lyricist while looking back at this "rock"umentary that Donna wrote.
Every little piece in this project added up to something far grander than I think any of you could have imagined.
I hope each and every one of you are patting yourself on your backs! I just don't know what else to say - let me know when this is made into a feature film. 8)
Cheers,
John
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really, there are no words to describe the greatness of this piece.. lyrics, musical arrangement and interpretation. you guys have all topped yourselves with this one. The bar raised higher here. I am simply awed by the quality of this work.
Way to go folks :) :) :)
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hey Bill
many thanks for dropping by and for the appreciative comment.
The project was based on the movie Silent Running, the third lyric was however entirely Donna's creation.
Cheers
Andy
Simply AMAZING!!!!!
Should be in a movie!!! 8) 8) 8)
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Hey John,
Really appreciate the kind thoughful review..better late than never :).
You've got the influences and the sound pat on....prog rock, classic rock, disney, sci-fi..yes it was mix of all that...Bowie, Floyd, Beatles etc. I thnk Donna might be preparing a slide show to go along with this.
Any collab with Donna and Billy on board is bound to be special..I am sure Donna would be thrilled with the accolades from a fine lyricist as yourself!
Thanks
Andy
I don't know how to say this, other than to say this trilogy doesn't belong here at MCS.
I would SO love to experience this at a planetarium - where you could get the full visual effect to go along with such a wonderful and EPIC collaboration. If I had to describe this to someone, I would say it's kind of like David Bowie's "Major Tom" meets Disney's Fantasia meets Space Odyssey 2001 :) :)
Cheers,
John
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Hey J,
Im always thrilled when a song or project meets your seal of approval!!
The scope was rather ambitious but we went with the premise that if we cant wear the sky in our hair we can wear stars in our brows instead :)
It's great to know that most people who have listened to this have liked it!
Cheers
Andy
really, there are no words to describe the greatness of this piece.. lyrics, musical arrangement and interpretation. you guys have all topped yourselves with this one. The bar raised higher here. I am simply awed by the quality of this work.
Way to go folks :) :) :)
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Very well done. This must have been a huge undertaking!
Cool story and I love the theatrics of the piece.
Kudos to all!
Nick
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Bill, John, "J", and Nick, thanks so much for listening.
Indeed, it was a huge undertaking. ;D
Amazing was that it all came together so smoothly. Really a good collaboration.
Donna
Guys, another kudo from afar. ;)
Damn, that's a lot of awesome music! Great epic song. Do you realize that's basically one side of an album?! And it moves through so many skillful transitions into new spaces of killer musicianship and great vocals. Beautifully covers a lot of territory. I'm quite impressed! And Donna - is that you in the introduction narrating? and also delivering the announcement in Song 1? I've heard you speak once, and I thought it sounded like you. That part is really well done also. In fact I love the introduction as much as any of it. Kudos all around, gang! Barbara
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Thanks for posting the great review Donna...:)
Andy
Donna
Guys, another kudo from afar. ;)
Damn, that's a lot of awesome music! Great epic song. Do you realize that's basically one side of an album?! And it moves through so many skillful transitions into new spaces of killer musicianship and great vocals. Beautifully covers a lot of territory. I'm quite impressed! And Donna - is that you in the introduction narrating? and also delivering the announcement in Song 1? I've heard you speak once, and I thought it sounded like you. That part is really well done also. In fact I love the introduction as much as any of it. Kudos all around, gang! Barbara
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You're welcome, Andy. ;) A few more comments have landed.
It's thrilling to know people are actually listening. ;)
Donna
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Epic proggy song(s). I sat silently all that 17 minutes and listened this via headphones. 62 tracks! Fantastic global collaboration! Stunning job on the lyrics, Donna...and on the each part! Kari
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Donna this is a masterpiece! LG (again)
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Wonderful. Really wonderful. And incredible too.
A perfect theme for "the" rock opera of these years. And apart from the theme, everything is abolutely perfect, the musicians, the voice, the production, everything puts your work to an incredible high level. Bravi, veramente! Alfredo
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Donna, Your Magnum Opus. A remarkable piece of story-telling and music. I could go on and on but what else is there to say? Ray
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WOW, quite a journey.
LOTS going on here & thumbs up to you all for completing such a project.
Very creative. Calvin
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Oh My....God!
This is huge! All of you deserve a huge pat on the back just for attempting such a huge project. Amazing opus! AndyK
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That is pretty incredible Donna. I felt pieces of the Miami Vice theme (your singer has his voice quality), Jesus Christ Superstar, and Queen - which have been all of my favorites.
Now time to get a movie producer to make this movie, that is remake it in 3D like Avatar. Doug
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Wow, a lot of work went into this one! It shows!
:) Good work!
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Thanks, Tricia. :)
Definitely a lot of work, but a tremendous labour of love. ;)
Donna
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Just had a 17 minute Goose-bump attack!
Thanks for allowing me to participate in this wonderful project.
@ Donna.... GREAT Lyrics! You're amazing!
@ Andy... It's always a pleasure to be a part of any project you are involved in! This song is an exacptional piece of creativity from beginning to end! You Rawk pal!
@ Billy...You're a wonderful talent. Great work on this! Fantastic job on the master mix brother!
@ David... fantastic voice Great work here pal!
@ Nathan and Donna ... teriffic narrations!
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Whoah , never realised it was such an epic track .... I was wondering why it was taking so long to download ;D
What an awesome project...sounds great ...of course with Billy's touch that was never in doubt. I cranked it up and listened to the whole thing from start to finish...Performances & production are really good stuff.
Glad I didn't have to mix it !
CD
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Wow, I mean really...WOW!
Outstanding
Epic
Preston 8)
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HEY Yall.... lets do another one of these hum???? ;) ;) ;) ;) :)
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John, CD, and Preston, thank you SO much for your positive and enthusiastic comments. :)
John, I'd love to work on another one along these lines. Different topic of course, but similar scale (or a fraction shorter). Once FAWM is over (end of February) I may begin pondering. And that's always dangerous. ;)
Donna
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Yeah lets do it! :)
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A few more hand claps have trickled in, lads. :)
Donna
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Wow this is huge and very well done, nice production to all. Jerry
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Huge song here Donna. Superb work by all the musicians. Really an interesting story. Great production. Really enjoyed listening to this. Michael
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Wow Donna!!! Quite a story! A regular Rock opera. This is Awesome!! You and the fellas have outdone yourselves! Sheila
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I love the story... Quite epic in its presentation! Performances are all excellent and are filled with a lot emotion and the vocalist really delivers the lyrics. Add a Wow from me too... very impressive :) PM
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WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Like listening to an unknown collaboration between Queen and The Beatles!!! rittmo'
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Could be a Ziggy follow up. Waiting for the movie now. MB
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This is just extraordinary. Kudos to all
involved. Simply amazing. Strong production,
great story. WOW! TwH
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Very good the production value is amazing reminds me of the Flower Kings and Roine Stolt. Thanks for sharing! Herff
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I was brought up on Yes, Elp, Allan Parsons and Rush to name but a few and this is up there with them. Brilliant!
All the best. Al
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Wow Donna - these are indeed wonderful reviews - they have been very kind.
Please convey our thanks to those who listened and commented.
Cheers
Andy